Electric Guitar
by animeoh
Summary: Ch. 16: "We're dat-"
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any music/band in this story.**

**Prologue**

"Mikan, no matter what you hear, **do not** make a sound, do you hear me?" Yuka whispered to her daughter, whom she was pushing down into the floor under one of the boards. The 5-year-old Mikan nodded silently, noting the seriousness in her mother's voice. Yuka smiled. "That's my good daughter. And remember, when you hear a scream, run away. Do **not** look back. You need to live, okay? **Live.**" Mikan nodded again, now hugging her knees in the little room she had. Yuka closed the floorboard.

**XXX**

_Crash._ The door broke down. _Boom._ A gunshot. _Gasping. Running. Choking. Crying. Screaming. Begging._ Mikan heard it all. And she ran. And cried. Through the streets and to the alley where a small abandoned dumpster was, where they dreaded this day and prepared for it. And there Mikan spent the next eight years of her life.

**XXX**

**8 Years Later...**

Mikan read the paper with no expression. The one saying that she had been accepted in the school her mom had told her to strive for, the famed Gakuen Alice. In her other hand she held her mother's favorite green stone and a letter. Saying that her mother. Is. Alive. She got dressed in the clothes that she had bought while working for the Cafe down the street. And carried a lone suitcase to where the Gakuen was, where her new home was. Where her new life was. And she carried her most prized posession, the one thing she was able to prepare in the dumpster: her electric guitar. And now, with this guitar, she was going to let her mom, and the world, know that she was, indeed, alive. Alive, and strong. And she **will** make them pay for what they did. With this guitar.

_Yeah, so, that's my prologue. Its my first fanfic, and the prologue was pretty short, but please, __**please**__ R&R. I'll try to update every three or four days, so please be patient with me!_

_Thanx!_

_animeoh_


	2. Chapter 1: The Crimson Nobles Band

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**EmbraceOfTheRose and ****Sakura Blossoms Cherry****: Thanks! I hope you continue liking it! :) I thought the prologue was boring but now I hope my other chapters get good reviews too!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any other pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 1: The Crimson Nobles Band**

Hotaru Imai glanced at the brown haired girl in the back for the 4th time today. Mikan's emotionlessness put even Hotaru's to shame. No matter how much she was ridiculed, she didn't say a word. Not even her name. The baka-sensei had to say it for her, and she wouldn't answer any questions about herself. The one time she spoke was when Narumi-sensei asked her for the answer to a history question, in which she looked into his eyes and said, "**I don't know.**" A threat in every word.

Its been two weeks since she came, and still has not made any friends. And what's with that huge case she always carries around? Hotaru nudged to the blonde boy on her left, whom she also noticed was staring at the new girl. "Ruka, what do you think?" Ruka turned to her at the sound of his name.

"I don't know Hotaru. It looks like she's...kind of...hollow. Like she could care less. I wonder if we should just leave her alone..." They both sighed. The bell for lunch rang and the brown-haired girl was the first one out, her case in tow. The black-haired boy on the other side pulled the manga off his face and yawned. Once his crimson eyes opened, he turned to the last group left inside the classroom, consisting of two sets of twins, a natural-permed girl, and the class prez.

The girl was on all their minds but they were kind of glad; it took their minds off of having to think about their biggest crisis yet: in order to go to Gakuen Utau for two years and become a real band, they needed another female guitarist/singer. Yeah. And the deadline to find one was this Friday, in five days.

With annoyance in every word, he said, "Jeez, if you wanna know about the new kid so bad, why don't you just go talk to her, instead of annoying the hell out of me while I'm trying to catch some Z's?" He started to walk away but Ruka grabbed his wrist.

"Natsume, she disappears at lunch. And P.E. We tried top follow us, but she always goes into a crowd and the next second she's gone. Maybe you could say something, as the leader of the Crrimson Nobles Band, why don't you go and look for her? Or just ask her to sit with us?" Ruka begged his best friend. The Leader of the Crimson Nobles was the Leader of Elementary Branch, and guess who that was...

"Tch. Whatever." Natsume headed off while Ruka smiled and everyone else chuckled. Natsume was such a child.

**XXX**

Natsume's eyebrows twitched as every _single_ girl he ran into _Kyaa!_-ed when he walked by. Geez, what the heck was their problem? His head swam with curses as he walked down a hallway he hadn't noticed before. _I mean, what the heck? I've been going here for six years and I didn't go down this hallway?_ The thought made his eyebrow twitch. Again. Then his mind wandered off to other matters, like having to find and talk to _that girl._

He was about to create a curse for the emotionless brown-haired girl too when he heard music. _Here? Isn't this part of school abandoned?_ He moved towards where the music was coming from. In a couple of minutes, he passed by an abandoned gym door left slightly ajar. Not wanting to give his position away by opening the creaky (emphasis on _creaky_) door, he leaned his ear against it.

It was a girl singing Crushcrushcrush, but an edited version. What's more, she was playing the guitar with it, so good and fast that not even his band's guitarists could compare. He sat and listened to the sound of her pained (_Pained?_ Natsume frowned) voice:

_I got a lot to say to you_

_Yeah, I got a lot to say_

_I noticed your eyes are always glued to me_

_Keeping them here_

_And it makes no sense at all_

_They taped over your mouth_

_Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

_Those little spies_

_They taped over your mouth_

_Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

_Those little spies_

_Crush_

_Crush_

_Crush_

_Crush, crush_

_Nothing compares to knowing that I am alone_

_Just don't want to remember that night_

_That never happens_

_I guess I'm dreaming again_

_I'll be more than...this_

_If you want to play it like a game_

_Well, come on, come on, let's play_

_Cause I'd rather waste my life pretending_

_Than have to forget you for one whole minute_

_They taped over your mouth_

_Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

_Those little spies_

_They taped over your mouth_

_Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

_Those little spies_

_Crush_

_Crush_

_Crush_

_Crush, crush_

_Nothing compares to knowing that I am alone_

_Just don't want remember that night_

_That never happens_

_I guess I'm dreaming again_

_I'll be more than this now_

_Rock and roll, baby_

_Don't you know that I'm all alone now?_

_I need something to sing about_

_Rock and roll, hey (Hey!)_

_Don't you know, baby, I'm all alone now?_

_Give me something to sing about_

_Rock and roll, Hey_

_Don't you know, baby, I'm all alone now?_

_Give me something to sing about_

_Nothing compares to knowing that I am alone_

_Just don't want remember that night_

_That never happens_

_I guess I'm dreaming again_

_I'll be more than this_

_Nothing compares to knowing that I am alone_

_Just don't want remember that night_

_That never happens_

_I guess I'm dreaming again_

_More than this_

She stopped singing. It felt like all of her emotions were poured into that song. It was awesome. But it's not like Natsume would admit that. He pushed the door open slightly and saw who it was. Before he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was getting hit by a guitar case on his head.

**Woohoo! Chapter One out! Yeah, that song fitted the moment. And haha, Natsume got caught! And you guys can probably guess who that was...**

**Thanx for reading, please review!**

**animeoh :)**


	3. Chapter 2: I Accept

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 2: I Accept.**

Mikan paced back and forth nervously across the infirmary, glancing over and over at the boy who lay on the bed who she had knocked out 5 minutes before. _Geez, what is _wrong _with me? Someone opens a door and I throw my freaking _guitar _case at them? Oh, Kami-sama, please take me now!_ She mentally slapped herself.

The black-haired boy stirred and immediately the brown-haired girl was by the bedside, leaning her face so close their noses were touching. The crimson eyes opened. For a minute, the two of them stayed staring at each other, then turned their heads so the other wouldn't see the blushes climbing up their cheeks.

As soon as Mikan managed to force hers down, she turned, bowed low (for her), said, "Sorry Hyuuga," and zoomed out of the room. Natsume forced his down long enough to watch her leave. He contemplated the perfectness of his story: The Crimson Nobles Band needs a female singing guitarist. Mikan just happens to sing and play guitar. But what was with that song? She sounded like it really happened to her...

Natsume shook his head and swung his legs over the side. Walking back to class, he thought about how he should tell everyone. Then the bell rang, and for the first time in his life, Natsume Hyuuga ran to _not_ be late to class.

**XXX**

Mikan could feel Hyuuga staring at her. She tried to ignore it but those eyes boring into the side of her face were just so...deep, like they could see everything about her. She thanked Kami-sama when the bell for the end of school rang. Scribbling something about homework on her hand, she hurridly stood up and faced to the right...only to end up nose to nose (again) with that (oh, curse him!) Hyuuga. They both jumped back.

Mikan turned around to go the other way, but then realized she was surrounded by the rulers of the school. She sighed and, with her emotionless facade in check, looked at the blonde boy (he looked the weakest to her) and said, "What do the _rulers of the school_ want with me?"

Everyone flinched, and Mikan inwardly gaped at how weak they all were. Hotaru stepped forward. "Sakura Mikan, we, the Crimson Nobles Band, accept you in our band." Mikan's face (she thanked Kami-sama) didn't betray any emotion.

The brown-haired girl picked up her backpack and pushed the black-haired boy out of the way. halfway out of the doorway, the orange-haired Koko shouted after her, "Oi, where're you-"

"I refuse." She cut him off and left the room. Natsume gritted his teeth.

"Why that little..."

**XXX**

Mikan walked to the abandoned gym, the familiar creaks in the floor giving her a sense of 'home'. When she stepped into the huge room, a great feeling filled her body. _Just let go...just let go..._she told herself over and over again. In seconds she had taken out her guitar and was singing Bluebird by Ikimono Gakari.

Letting herself go, she didn't realize that the Nobles and half the faculty had gathered in the room until one of them dropped their papers. She whipped around, her purple and black striped guitar shining in the light. "Um, Miss Sakura, we're using this room for a faculty meeting, so..."

Mikan nodded and within seconds had packed her guitar and was out the door...with the Nobles in tow. They kept telling her it would be fun, great, musical, and on and on, but when the pink-haired Anna mentioned we'd be famous, Mikan stopped. Everyone paused, confused. Mikan's thoughts raced. _I'll tell them all._

Mikan ran to her dorm, but not before shouting, "Fine. I accept."


	4. Chapter 3: The Calm before The Storm

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**vanilla143: Thanks, I dedicate this chapter to you! (if I can do that) I look forward to reading your story!**

**Sorry for updating too slow, i JUST BOUGHT A RABBIT! Also sorry for not leaving notes at the end of the chapter!**

**Rizelle1349**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 3: The Calm before The Storm**

The Crimson Nobles stood in the abandoned gym, waiting for the brown-haired girl who had become their bandmate just five days before. But this was now, and they had half an hour before the audition started. The class prez tried to calm down the flame in the furious and _very_ impatient black-haired girl from tracking Mikan down. "Leave me Iinchou, I won't beat her up bad. Just enough so that she'll know not to be late again." The two sets of twins watched in amusement from afar as the same scene played not two feet away, this time with a blonde boy and a fiery crimson-eyed beast.

"Ruka, let me go." Natsume said slowly. The blonde chuckled nervously, not wanting to make Natsume _too_ mad, but silently prayed that the brown-haired girl would show up soon-and got on his knees thanking Kami-sama when the said girl ran in. Natsume gave Ruka a questioning expression when the blonde stood up again, but Ruka just said, "Well, let's practice one last time before the audition," he said cheerily, and everyone hurried to their positions. Natsume and Hotaru played drums, Misaki Harada, Tsubasa Ando, and Mikan on lead guitars, the two sets of twins on bass, and Iinchou on keyboard.

Natsume started the beat, "One, two, three, four!" Mikan started to sing.

_Oh written in the stars_

_A million miles away_

_A message to the main_

_Ooooh_

_Seasons come and go_

_But I will never change_

_And I'm on my way_

_Lets go…_

_Yeah_

_You're listening now_

_They say they aint heard nothing like this in a while_

_Thats why they play my song on so many different dials_

_Cause I got more hits than a disciplined child_

_When they see me everybody brrrrrap's, brrrrrraps_

_Man I'm like a young gun fully black Barrack_

_I cried tear drops over the massive attack_

_I only make hits like I work with a racket and bat_

_Look at my jacket and hat_

_So - berserk_

_So down to earth_

_I'm bringing gravity back_

_Adopted by the major I want my family back_

_People work hard just to get all their salary taxed_

_Look Im just a writer from the ghetto like Malory blackman_

_Where the hells all the sanity at, -_

_I used to be the kid that no one cared about_

_Thats why you have to keep screaming til they hear you out_

_Oh written in the stars_

_A million miles away_

_A message to the main_

_Ooooh_

_Seasons come and go_

_But I will never change_

_And I'm on my way..._

**XXX**

One of the judges, their very own principal Hii-sama, walked into the room as they were resting. "You did great! Now we just wait for the other results. Good luck!" She waved and left the room.

The brown-haired girl chugged down her third bottle of water. Tsubasa chuckled and sat down next to her...on the floor. He drank a bottle of water before saying to Mikan, "Look who's nervous!" Mikan gave him an amused look, then chugged another bottle.

"Look who's talking, that's your seventh bottle!" Tsubasa blushed, then gave an annoyed look and left to go talk to Misaki, who was trying to stifle her laughter. Hii-sama wlked in with no expression on her face and everyone stood up.

"I'm sorry..." Everyone gasped. Hii-sama smiled. "...but you'll be leaving this school to attend the Academy of Music for two years!" All was quiet for a minute. Then everyone shouted "YES!" and launched themselves into someone else's arms, Mikan in Natsume's. They didn't notice they were hugging until Natsume cleared his throat and Mikan (blushing a very deep red) backed off and hugged Tsubasa.

Hii-sama smiled knowingly, then sent them off to their dorms to pack, for they were leaving tomorrow.

Mikan said goodbye, then turned in her request for leave and headed to the city (not Gakuen Alice's) hospital. It wasn't a very long wait, and all she needed to give was a blood sample. She said goodbye and headed to the city's (not Gakuen Alice's) hospital. It wasn't a very long wait, and all she needed to give was a blood sample for her black-outs she'd been having.

She sat reading her favorite book, _Amaya_, about a girl who finds her mom through singing. (ironic, huh?) The doctor walked in with a sad expression on her face. Mikan sat up, worried. "What is it? Please, just tell me straight out. I can take it." Mikan said, determined. Besides, it probably wasn't going to make finding her mom any harder. She was wrong.

The doctor sighed and put a hand on Mikan's shoulder. "Mikan, you have a disease. You won't know it by name, because its very rare. There's no cure yet. And it's _fatal_. I'm so sorry. And we don't know how much time you have left."

Mikan sat in shock for 20 minutes. Just sat there. The doctors and nurses let her be, knowing how terrible it was how her fate turned out. After 20 minutes, though, she walked out and thanked everyone and left. And ran to Gakuen Alice, to her dorm. She passed Hotaru before going into her room. What Hotaru saw was Mikan's fake smile. What she didn't see were Mikan's tears.


	5. Chapter 4: Its Not Over Yet

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**KidTantei: I thought I put it in there. She was blacking out during classes (it explains why she was zoning out/putting her head on her desk). And sorry they're so short. I just feel like the good ending point comes, and then...BOOM! It ends. Sorry, though. :) This chapter's for you!**

**Chapter 4: Its Not Over Yet**

One night. One night is all Mikan gave herself to cry. And she cried the whole night. Then, at three in the morning, she wiped her tears and started to pack her things. By six a.m. she was ready, and Hotaru knocked at her door. "We're going, baka." Mikan's puffy and red eyes had long since disappeared. The whole night she had been whispering to herself _Its not over yet, its not over yet._

Hotaru waved a hand in front of the brown-haired girl's face and pulled her out of the room. Right outside of the gates was a florescent yellow bus, with everyone else on it already. Hotaru, Sumire Shouda (our sound manager) and Mikan ran into the bus, and as soon as Mikan got on they left. Mikan was sitting in a row by herself, staring out the window the whole time.

**XXX**

"Good Morning, class. We have new students!" The class cheered as their teacher, Miss Serina, announced the good news. "Here they are. Please introduce yourselves and your instruments!"

"Kokoro Yome, bass guitar. You can call me Koko."

"Kitsuneme, bass guitar."

"Anna and Nonoko! We play bass guitar too."

"Tobita Yuu, I play keyboard."

"Misaki Harada! I play guitar! Nice t'meetcha!"

"Tsubasa Ando. I play guitar also."

"Sumire Shouda, I'm the sound effects manager."

Sakura Mikan, lead guitar and singer."

A blue-haired kid in the front row raised his hand. "What is their course?"

The teacher smiled and replied, "They'll find out after one year of normal school and one performance. They'll _actually_ be in our class a year from now." Everyone sighed and booed. The teacher showed them to the room next door, in which there was no one except a teacher named Misaki-sensei, with whom they spent the next year. Boringly. That I shall skip over because it was exactly like their days at the Gakuen.

**XXX**

**1 Year Later...**

The fifteen-year-old Mikan walked up on stage and faced the five-hundred students and faculty of the Academy of Music, who applauded lightly. As she took her place at the front and, with newfound confidence at her friends' encouraging smiles (even Natsume, who gave her a playful smirk), strummed the guitar and the sound blasted across the hall.

The corner of her lip curled into a smirk. "Perfect." She whispered. Hotaru started the count, "One, two, three, go!"

_*Mikan's Chuckle*_

_Dance _

_Back door cracked _

_We don't need a key _

_We get in for free _

_No VIP sleaze _

_Drink that kool-aid _

_Follow my lead _

_Now you're one of us _

_You're coming with me _

_It's time to kill the lights and shut the DJ down _

_This place about to- _

_Tonight we're taking over, no one's getting out _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to- _

_Now what (What) _

_We're taking control _

_We get what we want _

_We do what you don't _

_Dirt and glitter cover the floor _

_We're pretty and sick _

_We're young and we're bored (Ha) _

_It's time to lose your mind and let the crazy out _

_This place about to- _

_Tonight we're taking names 'cause we don't mess around _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to- _

_Go- go- go- go insane _

_Go insane _

_Throw some glitter _

_Make it rain on 'em _

_Let me see them hands _

_Let me, let me see them hands _

_Go insane _

_Go insane _

_Throw some glitter _

_Make it rain on 'em _

_Let me see them hands _

_Let me, let me see them hands _

_We are taking over _

_(Blow) _

_Get used to it _

_(Blow) _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_This place about to blow _

_Blow _

_*Mikan's laugh, slowly dies*_

The hall was quiet for a minute, then everyone erupted into an applaud, covered in the glitter that Sumire had programmed to be thrown whenever Mikan shouted, "BLOW!" Everyone was shining and people were crowding the halls when the Nobles went into the judging room. They called the people into the room separately.

The two sets of twins, Hotaru, Natsume, Yuu and Tsubasa stayed in the same positions, entering the school as the Crimson Nobles. Sumire also stayed the manager, but also DJ-ed the songs. Misaki became the lead singer and also stayed in the Crimson Nobles.

Mikan was scouted. By herself. A singer/guitarist, a solo. A _professional._ Immediately. She was to give her answer in an hour, and if she accepted, she would leave tonight. If she didn't, she would spend another year as a normal student, then spend two years as a music student.

When everyone heard, they were asking Mikan to stay, but also were telling her it was a great chance. Mikan smiled (everyone gasped, even Natsume; it was the first time they ever saw her smile!) and said that she had accepted, and thanks for getting her into the school. She hugged everyone. Natsume, she admitted, a little longer than the others.

And just like that, she was gone.

_**YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I liked this chapter! But all of them end up so short! 8C**_

_**Anyway, so Mikan's going solo! And there's gonna be another time skip in the next chapter! Hope you look forward to it...AND MIKAN LIVED TO BE IN THIS CHAPTER! YESSSSSSSSSS!**_

_**Please R&R!**_

_**animeoh**_


	6. Chapter 5: Bomb Idol

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**KURONEKO (): ****I don't know yet...hope you enjoy this one!**

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**bcatty**

**Chapter 5: Bomb Idol**

The brown-haired girl stepped off the stage. The crowd was going wild, the idol who had appeared suddenly two years ago was right in front of them! Just one day, everyone in the province got an e-mail saying there was a free concert happening on Friday night. Over 30,000 people showed up.

She put on her jacket, a black spiked leather one, that covered her plaid red mini-skirt with chains and a black shirt with chains across the front and swung her striped guiter over her shoulder. One last time she shouted into the mike, "Thanks for listening to me, **Devil's Charm**! 

While the crowd started to jump and climb over the fence, she hopped into her car and the driver drove away. "Miss Sakura? This was on the windsheild-it doesn't look like a fan letter." As he handed her the note, the eighteen-year-old's smirk faded. It was the same as the envelope she had gotten when she was thirteen.

Tearing it open, she scanned it, taking and memorizing every word. And she almost died of happiness. She read it over and over and over again, taking in the perfect handwriting-and the perfect words:

_Mikan, It's mom.  
>I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner.<br>I thought you had died when you disappeared  
>for a year, but then you suddenly<br>became a bomb idol! I'm sorry, I can't  
>write too long. I can see you at your next<br>concert, though. They won't expect to see  
>me there. I hope we can meet then.<br>Yuka_

Mikan sighed. Her next concert was tomorrow night. Her friends-she smiled at the word-were coming too. Her friends, who had climed up to the top steadily but quickly, the newly called band **Dream**. Their dream. It came true. and hers was about to, too.

**XXX**

The black-haired girl shot the blonde with her baka-gun as he tripped on his way to the car. "Hurry up, Ruka. We're all waiting for you." He apologized and chuckled nervously as he got into the limo filled with the other members of **Dream**: Anna, Nonoko, Koko, Kitsuneme, Natsume, Sumire, Yuu, Hotaru, Misaki, Tsubasa and him.

Anna and Nonoko squealed and the boys raised fists into the air as they speeded to the Sakura Hall. "We're coming, Mikan-chan!"

Natsume stared out the window the whole ride as he thought of the brown-haired girl he was _finally_ going to see after three years. Everyone else exchanged smiles knowingly, and Natsume noticed and blushed a deeeeeeeep red. "What?" They all chuckled and waited to enter.

When they got there, they hurried to their front row seats, which for some reason had one extra chair. _Someone else probably bought a front row,_ they thought, and hurridly sat down. Within 10 minutes, the hall (which, newly made, had a record-breaking amount over 900,000 seats) was completely filled.

The lights dimmed and everyone smiled as a boy the same age as them stepped onto the stage. "Well, hello everyone! My name is Mochiage, and welcome to the new Sakura Hall! But this isn't what you wanna hear! Tell me what you want!" he leaned over dramatically.

The crowd shouted, "We want **Devil's Charm**!"

Mochiage smiled and the lights turned off. fog filled the room and the spotlight hit the center of the stage as Mochiage shouted, "Well here she is!" A beat for one of her songs started as the crowd waited for her part. 3...2...1...

Mikan jumped _out of the stage,_ singing her part, her eyes sparkling as they laid on her friends and a woman (!) next to them:

_Boy I think about it every night and day _

_I'm addicted wanna jump inside your love _

_I wouldn't wanna have it any other way _

_I'm addicted and I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_Honey got a - all steamin _

_She givin hotness a new meanin _

_Perfection mama you gleamin _

_Inception you got a brother dreamin dreamin _

_- baby I'm feignin _

_I'm trynna holler at you, I'm screamin _

_Let me love you down this evenin _

_Love you love you ya you know you are my demon _

_Girl we could form a team and _

_I could be the king you could be the queen and _

_My mind's dirty and it don't need cleanin _

_I love you long time so you know the meanin _

_Oh baby I can't come down so please come help me out _

_You got me feelin high and I can't step off the cloud _

_And I just can't get enough _

_Boy I think about it every night and day _

_I'm addicted wanna jump inside your love _

_I wouldn't wanna have it any other way _

_I'm addicted and I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_I just can't get enough _

_Honey got me runnin like I'm flow joe _

_Signs her name on my heart with an X-O _

_Love's so sweet got me vexed oh _

_I wanna wish it right back like presto, yes _

_Meantime I wait for the next time _

_She come around 'fore I toast to the best time _

_We lol back and forth on the text line _

_She got me fishin for her love I confess I'm _

_Somethin bout her smile and that combo _

_Got me high and I ain't comin down yo _

_My heart's pumpin out louder than electro _

_She got me feelin like Mr. Roboto _

_Oh baby I can't come down so please come help me out _

_You got me feelin high and I can't step off the cloud _

_And I just can't get enough _

_Boy I think about it every night and day _

_I'm addicted wanna jump inside your love _

_I wouldn't wanna have it any other way _

_I'm addicted and I just can't get enough _

_*this is mega switch up* _

_switch up _

_switch up _

_I just can't _

_switch up _

_Caught _

_Up in your love shock _

_Knocked _

_Out by your cold shot _

_switch up _

_Can't get out won't when _

_Makin me feign, give it to me _

_I want it all, know what I mean _

_Your love is a dose of ecstasy _

_switch up _

_Addicted _

_I can't get _

_Away from _

_You _

_Afflicted _

_I need it _

_I'm missin _

_switch up _

_I want your lovin right next to me _

_And I can't _

_Erase ya out of my memory _

The crowd went wild at her signature song, and she sang many songs, but they weren't full. It felt like she wasn't pouring her heart out in them. Then, at about one in the morning, shi finished all the songs they knew she had sang. But she smiled and stepped forward and all the lights turned off. "DO YOU WANT MORE?"

"Yes!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YESSSSSSS!"

"Alright then! Here are my new songs!"

The stage lights turned on in a simple shade of white. When the fog cleared, she was just standing there, in a t-shirt and jeans and her first electric guitar. The props around her made it look like she was just a normal kid who liked jamming in her garage. And she _loved _it. Clearing her throat, she started, only her playing and singing:

_I'm about to lose my mind _

_You've been gone for so long I'm running out of time_

_I need a doctor _

_Call me a doctor _

_I need a doctor, doctor _

_To bring me back to life _

_I told the world, one day I would pay it back. _

_Say it on tape and lay it, record it, _

_so that one day I could play it back. _

_But I don't even know if I believe it when I'm saying that. _

_Doubt startin' to creep in, _

_everyday it's just so grey and black. _

_Hope, I just need a ray of that _

_'Cause no one sees my vision _

_When I play it for 'em, they just say it's whack. _

_But they don't know what dope is._

_And I don't know if I was awake or asleep when I wrote this._

_All I know is you came to me when I was at my lowest. _

_You picked me up, breathed new life in me._

_I owe my life to you. _

_But for the life of me, _

_I don't see why you don't see like I do. _

_But it just dawned on me; you lost a girl._

_Demon's fightin' you, it's dark._

_Let me turn on the lights and brighten me and enlighten you. _

_I don't think you realize what you mean to me, not the slightest clue._

_'Cause me and you, were like a crew._

_I was like your sidekick._

_You gon' either wanna fight when I get off this - mic, _

_Or you gon' hug me. _

_But I'm out of options, there's_

_nothing else I can do cause..._

_I'm about to lose my mind _

_You've been gone for so long I'm running out of time _

_I need a doctor _

_Call me a doctor _

_I need a doctor, doctor _

_To bring me back to life _

_It hurts when I see you struggle._

_You come to me with ideas. _

_You say they're just pieces, so I'm puzzled._

_'Cause the - I hear is crazy, _

_But you're either getting lazy,_

_or you don't believe in you no more. _

_Seems like your own opinions, not one you can form. _

_Can't make a decision, you keep questioning yourself,_

_Second guessing, and it's almost like your begging for my help. _

_Like, I'm YOUR leader. _

_You're supposed to - be MY mentor. _

_I can endure no more!_

_I demand you remember who you are! _

_It was YOU, who believed in me, _

_When everyone was telling you, don't sign me. _

_Everyone at the f-cking label, lets tell the truth. _

_You risked your life for me, _

_I know it as well as you._

_Nobody wanted to - with the lone girl..._

_Mom, I'm crying in this booth. _

_You saved my life, now maybe it's my time to save yours. _

_But I can never repay you, what you did for me is way more._

_But I ain't giving up faith, and you ain't giving up on me. _

_Get up Mom! I'm dying, I need you, come back for -'s sake cause _

_I'm about to lose my mind _

_You've been gone for so long I'm running out of time _

_I need a doctor _

_Call me a doctor _

_I need a doctor, doctor _

_To bring me back to life _

_Bring me back to life_

_It literally feels like a lifetime ago _

_But I still remember the - like it was just yesterday though _

_You walked in, yellow jump suit Whole room, _

_cracked jokes _

_Once you got inside the booth, told you,_

_like smoke _

_Went through friends, some of them I put on_

_But they just left, _

_they said they was riding to the death _

_But where the - are they now Now that I need them,_

_I don't see none of them _

_All I see is Slim - _

_all you fairweather friends _

_All I need is him _

_-ing backstabbers _

_When the chips were down, _

_you just laughed at us_

_Now you bout to feel the -ing wrath_

_of aftermath,_

_You gon' see us in our lab jackets_

_and ask where the - we been? _

_You can kiss my indecisive -_

_crack maggots _

_and the crackers - _

_Little cracker jack beat _

_making wack math, _

_Backwards producers,_

_I'm back - _

_One more CD and then I'm packing up my bags_

_and as I leave And I guarantee they'll scream, _

_Hey don't leave me like that mom cause..._

_Im about to lose my mind _

_You've been gone for so long I'm running out of time _

_I need a doctor_

_Call me a doctor _

_I need a doctor, doctor _

_To bring me back to life_

_Bring me back to life _

_Bring me back to life_

The song ended. Mikan was crying, and so was most of the crowd, but then **Dream** saw something that made everything they knew fall into chaos; The woman next to them was crying, the extra seat woman. Staring right at **Devil's Charm**, she whispered, "Mikan, I'm sorry..." And left the room. A minute later, six thug-looking guys in security suits appeared, but then left when they saw the seat next to them was empty.

Mikan noticed it too. But she sang one final song, "Thanks everyone. This one's for my mom." Yuka turned, hidden by the crowd of now-standing people. Feeling that her mother was watching, Mikan started to sing:

_I'm coming home_

_I'm coming home_

_Tell the World I'm coming home_

_Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday_

_I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes_

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home_

_Tell the World that I'm coming_

_Back where I belong, yeah I never felt so strong_

_(I'm back baby)_

_I feel like there's nothing that I can't try_

_And if you with me put your hands high_

_(put your hands high)_

_If you ever lost a light before, this ones for you_

_And you, the dreams are for you_

_I hear "The Tears of a Clown"_

_I hate that song_

_I feel like they talking to me when it comes on_

_Another day another Dawn_

_Another family come and see me did the math I'm gonr_

_What am I 'posed to do when the club lights come on_

_Its easy to be Puff, its harder to be Sean_

_What if my friends ask me where is my mom_

_How do I respond?_

_What if my son stares with a face like my own_

_And says he wants to be like me when he's grown_

_But I aint finished growing_

_Another night the inevitible prolongs_

_Another day another Dawn_

_Just tell them that I'll be fine in the morn_

_Another lie that I carry on_

_I need to get back to the place I belong_

_I'm coming home_

_I'm coming home_

_Tell the World I'm coming home_

_Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday_

_I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes_

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home_

_Tell the World that I'm coming_

"_A house is Not a Home", I hate this song_

_Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone_

_And they got the nerve to blame you for it_

_And you know you woulda took the bullet if you saw it_

_But you felt it and still feel it_

_And money can't make up for it or conceal it_

_But you deal with it and you keep ballin'_

_Pour out some liquor, play ball and we keep ballin'_

_Cuz I've been livin in sin for you only_

_But I've never seen youand want to meet you_

_So you've been a guest in your own home_

_It's time to make your house your home_

_Pick up your phone, come on_

_I'm coming home_

_I'm coming home_

_Tell the World I'm coming home_

_Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday_

_I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes_

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home_

_Tell the World that I'm coming_

"_Ain't No Stopping Us Now", I love that song_

_Whenever it comes on it makes me feel strong_

_I thought I told y'all that we won't stop_

_We back cruising through Harlem, Viso blocks_

_It's what made me, saved me, drove me crazy_

_Drove me away than embraced me_

_Forgave me for all of my shortcomings_

_Welcome to my homecoming_

_Yeah it's been a long time coming_

_Lot of fights, lot of scars, lot of bottles_

_Lot of cars, lot of ups, lot of downs_

_Made it back, lost my dog (I miss you BIG)_

_And here I stand, a better girl! (a better girl)_

_Thank you Lord (Thank you Lord)_

_I'm coming home_

_I'm coming home_

_Tell the World I'm coming home_

_Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday_

_I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes_

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home_

_Tell the World that I'm coming_

_Home_

The crowd went wild. Yuka's tears spilled over and she immediately left, thanking Kami-sama that she was fine. Mikan smiled, at the crowd and then at her friends, **Dream**, and said, "Thanks for coming!" Before heading off stage. Her mom was alright, her friends were too, and now she needed to get those people who ruind their lives.

The brown-haired girl thanked the staff and crew before leaving. She headed home. Like a normal girl. In jeans and a t-shirt, and a guitar swung over her back. Right before entering the city, she climbed onto a bench and stood up and shouted, "I"LL FIND YOU MOM!"

Her hat covered her eyes. But if you looked closely enough, looking right into them, you could see the flames. The flames of determination. The flames of a Devil's Charm.

**Thanks soooooo much for all the reviews and favoriting! Sorry for the late updating, I'm not allowed to use the computer over the weekdays, so I'm sneaking it in. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the lyrics **_**are**_** important, since some of you are asking!**

**Thanks again,**

**animeoh**


	7. Chapter 6: Visible

**Thanks soooo much!**

**natsume002**

**abi clarke**

**The MangaReader: This one's for you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any po culture in this story.**

**Chapter 6: Visible**

The brown-haired girl leaned over the sink and retched for the fifth time. Wiping the red liquid from her mouth, she proceeded to washing her face and swallowing the tiny white painkillers. Breathing heavily, she walked back out of the bathroom and back into the studio. A brown-haired boy walked up to her. "Are you okay, Mikan?" he asked worridly.

She smiled. "I'm fine, Mochiage. It was just a little coughing. After all, the **Devil's Charm** can take more than this!" She raised and shook her small fist into the air dramatically, but in the back of her mind was thinking, _-, its getting worse...and visible._ The others in the studio chuckled and they proceeded to practicing Mikan's new song.

**XXX**

The brown-haired woman hurried down the street and turned around a corner, her heart beating quickly. About 20 meters away, three men wearing security suits followed her, whispering among themselves. The brown-haired woman broke into a sprnt as soon as she made it into the _very_ crowded shopping center.

_Calm down and run faster, Yuka._ The told herself, over and over again. She stopped in an alleyway to rest. Her breathing quieted and she continued to walk down into the darkness. But exactly which darkness was she sinking in...?

**XXX**

Mikan walked down the road through the crowded streets of Times Square. She was in her ripped jeans, cap, t-shirt, and her guitar was slung over her shoulder. People hurried past her in couples. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Friend and friend. Husband and wife. And, as a little girl bumped into her legs, she saw a mother and her shild.

"This is a good spot." She leaned against a light pole in front of the W Hotel. Opening her guitar case, the brown-haired girl smiled. "Haven't done this since I was six." She strummed and began to sing:

_I find the map and draw a straight line_

_Over rivers, farms, and state lines_

_The distance from 'A' to where you'd be_

_It's only finger-lengths Jobby that I see_

_I touch the place where I'd find your face_

_My finger in creases of distant dark places_

_I hang my coat up in the first bar_

_There is no peace that I've found so far_

_The laughter penetrates my silence_

_As drunken men find flaws in science_

_Their words mostly noises_

_Ghosts with just voices_

_Your words in my memory_

_Are like music to me_

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_I, I pray that something picks me up_

_And sets me down in your warm arms_

_After I have travelled so far_

_We'd set the fire to the third bar_

_We'd share each other like an island_

_Until exhausted, close our eyelids_

_And dreaming, pick up from_

_The last place we left off_

_Your soft skin is weeping_

_A joy you can't keep in_

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_And I, I pray that something picks me up_

_and sets me down in your warm arms_

_I'm miles from where you are,_

_I lay down on the cold ground_

_and I, I pray that something picks me up_

_and sets me down in your warm arms_

She stopped singing to see a crowd of little boys and girls sitting in a semi-circle around her, their parents somewhere farther away but watching. Her open guitar case, now full of coins and crumpled dollar bills, had little space for her guitar as she waved to everyone, she picked it up and started to walk away. But was stopped by a little girl in a pink dress.

"Umm...big sis...I have...umm...here." She handed the brown-haired girl a ten dollar bill. Mikan smiled and bent down to pat the girl's head.

"Little girl, what's your name?"

"Maya..."

"Thank you so much, Maya." The little girl smiled widely. She nodded and ran back to her parents, waving as she ran. Mikan smiled and started to walk back down the street. She turned down an alleyway but just as she got past a dumpster, leaned over into it and coughed heavily. She was hidden, so wasn't afraid of being found.

After being sure about the stopped coughing, she walked down into the darkness. But in that darkness was a little light; it would call itself the Devil's Charm, but was also the Angel's Light. And in the darkness was a voice in front of the brown-haired girl, which she started to follow, _"I'm miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground and I..."_

XXX

And in the darkness was a voice in front of the brown-haired woman, which she started to follow, _"I'm miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground and I..."_

_**I find the map and draw a straight line...I love that song! And, in case you didn't know, they were in New York and went to Japan for the Gakuen, then returned to New York. It's Christmas Eve...**_

_**R&R!**_

_** -animeoh**_

_**P.S. Sorry for being so late with such a short chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 7: Coke

**KidTantei: Thats right! For both questions!**

**Elixx: Thanks!**

**Any reccomendations for stories, songs, change of plot, characters, please let me know! **

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own Gakuen Alice or any pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 7: Coke**

The brown-haired girl walked into the bar at the end of the alley. "Hey, Mi!" The bar-owner called to her as she waved.

The girl smiled weakly. "Hey, Martini." She sat at her usual place, at the edge of the bar. Immediately a bottle of coke was slapped down in front of her. She looked up questioningly but Martini pretended not to notice. Mikan smiled and took a chug. She sat there for a few minutes, then thanked Martini and left the bar with a half-filled bottle.

All of a sudden she felt dizzy. She leaned against a wall and spotted a dumpster ahead and sat on the other side, completely hidden. She held the cold bottle to her head for a while. After what felt like hours, she heard someone sit on the other side of the dumpster.

"Hangover?" So it was a woman...

"Nah, I don't drink." Mikan replied. The woman laughed. Mikan laughed too, although she didn't know why. Then the woman asked her for somthing strange.

"Girl...can you sing a song for me?" Her voice sounded weak, but Mikan pushed the thought away. "Because, girl...I want to hear something wonderful before I...leave..." Mikan chugged the rest of the bottle and set it on the edge of the dumpster. Then she stood up and swung around her guitar.

"Okay, onee-san," She replied. "This one's for you."

_If I die young bury me in satin_

_Lay me down on a bed of roses_

_Sink me in the river at dawn_

_Send me away with the words of a love song _

_uh oh uh oh _

_Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother_

_She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors oh and_

_Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no _

_ain't even grey, but she buries her baby_

_The sharp knife of a short life, well _

_I've had just enough time_

_If I die young bury me in satin_

_Lay me down on a bed of roses_

_Sink me in the river at dawn_

_Send me away with the words of a love song _

_The sharp knife of a short life, well _

_I've had just enough time _

_And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom_

_I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger_

_I've never known the lovin' of a mom_

_But it sure felt nice when she was holding my hand_

_There's a woman here in town says she'll love me forever_

_Who would have thought forever could be severed by_

_The sharp knife of a short life, well _

_I've had just enough time_

_So put on your best rose and I'll wear my pearls_

_What I never did is done_

_A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar _

_They're worth so much more after I'm a goner_

_And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin' _

_Funny when you're dead how people start listenin' _

_If I die young bury me in satin _

_Lay me down on a bed of roses_

_Sink me in the river at dawn_

_Send me away with the words of a love song _

_oh oh _

_The battle at the dock, Go with peace and love._

Mikan sighed and leaned back against the wall, her energy gone. She heard the woman breathing heavily. Curious, even when tired, she walked around the dumpster. The first thing she noticed was a hooded figure on the ground. Then she noticed it was shot. "HELP!" She shouted, slipping into unconsciousness.

She fell on the ground in front of the woman's body. The last thing she noticed was, as the woman's hood fell off, was the face..."M...mom..." And faintly, she did hear her mom's voice.

_"After I have traveled so far..._

_We'd set fire to the third bar..._

_We'd share each other like an island..._

_You and I, my darling..._

_Mi...Mikan..."_

And, in all the commotion as people found the two bodies, one sound was louder than them all...an empty bottle of coke falling and shattering to pieces.

**So close...Yet so far...**

**And it all ends with a bottle of coke.**

**R&R! I looooooooove reading them!**

**-animeoh**


	9. Chapter 8: Without a Soul

**Thanks for R&Ring!**

**I do not own Gakuen Alice or any Pop Culture in this story.**

**Chapter 8: Without a Soul**

"…and so you will be released now." The doctor smiled

"Did you tell my friends about my condition?" The brown-haired girl asked, still not looking up. The woman replied that she didn't. The brown-haired girl stood up as the doctor walked out and a black-haired boy walked in. She smiled a little bit. He led her out of the room with a stoic expression and down the hallway. He felt a tug and turned around. "Sorry."

Her head leaned onto his chest. He tensed slightly but stood still as she wrapped her arms around him. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his shirt felt wet. She sobbed quietly. "She left me." He was confused. "She came back and then she left me. I…" She sobbed again. "I didn't even know it was her!"

She dropped to the floor, pulling him down with her, and hugged him. He was inwardly shocked. This was not the fearless, stoic, weakness less warrior he knew. This was a normal person. Crying. Crying was something he was not good at dealing with, not even with his own sister. He remained still for a while, then hesitantly placed a hand on her back.

She stiffened, then relaxed. She became quiet and they sat there together for a while, quietly. Then he pulled her up and they walked to his car. It was the middle of the night. "Take me to the concert, Hyuuga." He didn't argue. Within minutes they were at the back entrance of a large hall, fans all around. She ran in, a fake smile on her face, but changed it into a real one at the sight of **Dream**. She went in to change while Natsume went to the audience. She peeked through the curtains and they were sitting in the front row.

"Are you ready, Mikan?" She turned to see a curly-haired boy smiling. "I already made the announcements." She nodded and he smiled wider, handing her the guitar. "Ladies and Gents, **Devil's Charm**!" The crowd went wild as a figure with flowing brown hair in a shiny black motorcycle gang suit jumped out of the curtains. Her lips curled upwards. She couldn't show sadness to these people.

"Are you ready?"

"YES!" They shouted back. She took a deep breath.

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?__  
><em>_Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb__  
><em>_Without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold__  
><em>_until you find it there and lead it back home___

_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_call my name and save me from the dark__  
><em>_bid my blood to run__  
><em>_before I come undone__  
><em>_save me from the nothing I've become___

_now that I know what I'm without__  
><em>_you can't just leave me__  
><em>_breathe into me and make me real__  
><em>_bring me to life___

_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_call my name and save me from the dark__  
><em>_bid my blood to run__  
><em>_before I come undone__  
><em>_save me from the nothing I've become___

_Bring me to life__  
><em>_Bring me to life___

_frozen inside without your touch__  
><em>_Without your love, darling__  
><em>_only you are the life among the dead___

_all this time I can't believe I couldn't see__  
><em>_kept in the dark but you were there in front of me__  
><em>_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems__  
><em>_got to open my eyes to everything__  
><em>_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul__  
><em>_don't let me die here__  
><em>_there must be something more__  
><em>_bring me to life___

_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_Wake me up inside__  
><em>_call my name and save me from the dark__  
><em>_bid my blood to run__  
><em>_before I come undone__  
><em>_save me from the nothing I've become___

_I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside_

__ There was screaming, there was shouting, there was the throwing of flowers. Her friends smiled at her progress. But only one of them knew how she was really feeling, and it had been proven by that song. Guess who.


	10. Chapter 9: Lies

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**kitty cat lysanne**

**PuppyLoveer**

**Barajou no hoshi**

**LittleMissFirebug23**

**I do not own Gakuen Alice or any pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 9: Lies**

"What're you talking about?" The brown-haired girl said, staring at the figure whose face she couldn't make out. "Who are you?"

Mikan knew the person was trying to say something, she could hear a faint buzzing in her ear.

The figure turned around and started to walk away. "Wait! Where are you going? Don't go!" She quickly ran forward. "Don't leave me in the dark!"

But it was no use.

The closer she got to the figure, the farther he seemed to get.

_He._

It was a _him._

"Who are you? Boy! Sir! Man, person!"

In pure desperation, she cried out, "Dad!"

The world froze.

The figure turned around, his face hidden by a shadow. "That's right, Mikan."

The hazel-eyed girl's eyes widened. Falling to her knees, she tried to keep this image in her head for a little while longer.

"_Dad."_

"And underneath the trees, we watch the skies..." The brown-haired girl hummed. "Confusing stars...with satellites..." Mikan hummed to herself, walking through the crowded streets of New York. Japanese idols were a hit here too.

She continued a bit further until she got to a little courtyard behind a college - it was empty and had a cute little table in the middle, and she always came here. But today she saw an unfamiliar ruffle of black hair sitting there, and pounced.

"Hey! Who the hell are you-"

"Mikan." He turned around, half-glaring at the hazel-eyed girl.

"Natsu- wait, what're you doing here-"

"What is going on?" Natsume was in front of her in an instant. "You have been acting weird. And you look different." He touched her hair. "And you're _acting_ different too."

Mikan, now unable to glare at him, just sighed. "I'm just tired. How's it going on your end?"

The crimson-eyed teen seemed a little surprised at the question. He let go of her hair and sat back down. "**Dream** is releasing our new album in three days. Aoi is now a backup singer, and father is her biggest fan_girl._"

He said it with such a serious face, Mikan couldn't help but laugh. "I'm dropping a new single tomorrow at the Sakura Hall in Japan. Wanna come? It'll be nice to go back home for a bit..."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "You and your singles...are you _ever _releasing an album?"

"I'm working on it..." She pouted. "Besides, you're just a _drummer._"

"A better musician than _you'll _ever be." Natsume shot back, acting like he was barely listening. Mikan's temper flared, and as Natsume looked up the corner of his lip curled up a bit. "What, Mikan, got something to say?"

Mikan unzipped her guitar case, pulled out that first guitar, and strummed once, then slung it back over her shoulder without the case. "Watch this, _Hyuuga Natsume-kun._" Natsume scowled.

_"Stomp, stomp, _I've arrived, drop the beat, nasty face, why you looking at me?" The garden got quiet. "Flyin' flyin' flyin' flyin' through the sky, in my spaceship, I'm an alien tonight."

"This makes _no _sense," Natsume cut in quietly. Mikan smirked.

"Dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty sucka, you think I can't get hurt like you, you mother- whoa!" She stopped herself on time. "I can do it like a _brotha_, do it like a _dude,_" She flipped her now-short and black hair at him.

"Grab my crotch," She pretended to do so, "Wear my hat low like you!" She pulled it over her eyes and slung her guitar into her waiting arms.

"We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem, we can do it like the man'dem. Sugar sugar sugar, we can do it like the man'dem, man'dem, we can do it like the man'dem. Sugar sugar sugar."

Hyuuga Natsume looked in shock. His eyes were only widened, but that was enough for SAKURA MIKAN! "That should be enough for now." She smirked and turned around.

"I guess you _are _doing okay," Natsume grumbled. "'Do it like a dude', huh?" The corner of his lip _did _seem to defy gravity.

Hotaru glared.

She glared _alot_.

It was freaking poor little Ruka out. "U-u-u-ummmmm, Hotaru-chan?" He finally cut in. "A-a-a-are you okay?" Hotaru snapped out of her trance and looked to Ruka, shuddering next to her. She stood.

"I'm fine, Ruka, don't worry about me. Get ready, and tell Iinchou and the others to get ready too. Mikan's dropping another hit tonight. From here, our flight should take about two hours..."

Ruka nodded, reassured, then walked off.

Hotaru picked up a little red gift-wrapped box on the glass table in the middle of **Dream**'s enormous flat. "I hope she likes it," She whispered to herself.

It was unlike Hotaru, many would say, to show any emotion, but Hotaru was better than that. When Ruka asked her about it, she had replied, 'To show no emotion is a weakness. To show too much emotion is also a weakness. But to show a lot of both...is the best.'

There came a knocking on the door. Hotaru assumed it was their manager, their middle-school principal, and brushed her hair from her face. Opening the door, she started, "Hello-" An envelope fluttered to the floor, no one at the doorway.

Being the curious girl she was, Hotaru ripped it open immediately. "Do It Like A Dude: the dropping of **Devil's Charm**'s new single..." She read out loud. "V.I.P. Tickets...once again Mikan, you have really outdone yourself." Also in the envelope were lounge passes, private stays for three days in a Times Square apartment, all to be included with Mikan herself's company.

"'Do it like a dude', Mikan? Really? Must've been Natsume..."

"Japan is amazing..." Mikan breathed onto the car's window. The sakura trees were blooming, people were on a natural high, and the bomb idol was back at home. "Oh, right here, sir," She said to the taxi driver.

Sakura Hall. Currently, tonight, in about three hours, Mikan would be performing at this very _insane_ size of a building. She waltzed in, humming to herself. "Do it like a brotha, do it like a _dude..._"

All of a sudden, a wave of nausea slammed into her. She made a break for the closest bathroom, locked herself into the enormous beautiful stall, and vomited into the toilet. She remained standing over it while taking her guitar off and holding up her hair...until someone held it up for her.

"Mmmmm!" She was about to turn, but then Hotaru's voice stopped her. "Don't turn your dirty mouth to my face, idiot, just let me hold your hair."

Mikan couldn't refuse before another wave hit her, and she vomited again. She felt weak for a second, while Hotaru washed her mouth and face. When they heard the bathroom door open, Mikan tensed.

"Don't worry. I locked our stall and the walls are soundproof." She continued to wash Mikan, then made her sit on the bench in the wall. She examined the wreckage (_gross)_ and also Mikan's mouth.

Without a change in her tone, she said, "You have a severe case of unusual Polio. You're almost fully formed, and yet you have it. Your respiratory system is fine, which explains why you can still sing...but your stomach is shrinking because of lack of - oh yeah, you never got a vaccine. Your blood-cells are being piggy-backed and it looks like you yelled a lot somewhere - that sped it up. It's only affected one vein, one artery, a quarter of your esophagus, and half of your stomach." She scrunched her eyebrows.

"Mikan, why the hell did you not tell me before? I'm your best friend, for cripes' sake." She said the second santence in French, thinking it was a language Mikan couldn't understand.

"Because, Hotaru," The brown-haired girl replied in perfect French, "I would _never_ want to make my best friend cry."

"I'm not crying." Hotaru switched to English.

"Then, my friend," Mikan did also, "Why are there tears falling from your eyes?"

Hotaru didn't bother to wipe the rainclouds misting over the plains of her cheeks. "These aren't tears. These are emotions for a friend." Hotaru took out her cellphone, texting at a rapid speed. She got her reply almost immediately.

"Let's go to the stage, Mikan. It's time."

**Thank you reviewers!**

**Yeah so, I've been getting private messages asking me what songs I used. **

**Here they are:**

**Chapter 1: Misery Business by Paramore**

**Chapter 3: Written In The Stars by Tinie Tempah**

**Chapter 4: Blow by Ke$ha**

**Chapter 5: Just Can't Get Enough by Black Eyed Peas**

** I Need A Doctor by Eminem**

** I'm Coming Home by Kanye West**

**Chapter 6: Set Fire To The Third Bar by Snow Patrol**

**Chapter 7: If I Die Young by The Band Perry**

**Chapter 8: Bring Me To Life by Evanesence**

**Chapter 9: Do It Like A Dude by Jessie J**

**Yeah, so, I hope you all liked this chapter, even though it is short yet again...**

**R&R!**

_**~animeoh**_


	11. Chapter 10: Mirror

**Hey Reviewers!**

**(BTW skip this rant...its not important if you wanna get to the story)**

**So I've been getting these anonymous private messages from someone calling themselves **_**thedude**_**. He's not even signed in. If anyone knows who it is, please tell and by the way, **_**thedude**_**, if you wanna talk smack about someone's story, say it to my face like a **_**REAL DUDE.**_** If you even**_** are **_**one.**

**Anyway, thanks reviewers, and enjoi the story!**

**Fantasychick13 - Thank YOU!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any pop culture in this story.**

**Chapter 10: Mirror**

A completely black figure on a completely black stage in a completely black room. "Y'all, I need some light in here, can someone turn on their PHONE!" The figure shouts into the mike, her loud voice resounding across the domed halls.

Immediately all over the enormous stadium, lights flickered on like fireflies in the summer. "Are you ready?"

Yells.

"I SAID, _ARE YOU READY?"_

Screams, shouts, throwing letters and flowers. The dim lights flickered on and barely illuminated the stage. Instead of one figure, like normal, there was one figure at the front in a ripped black dress and brown hair. The other figure had long black hair and was sitting in front of a drum set, but was just as beautiful.

"Thanks you all, my best friend from **Dream** is gonna be in this song!"

And she began.

Stomp stomp I've arrived  
>Drop the beat, nasty face<br>Why ya lookin' at me?

Flyin' flyin' flyin' flyin' through the sky  
>In my spaceship<br>I'm an alien tonight

Dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty sucka  
>You think I can't get hurt like you, you motherf...<p>

(I can do it like a brother  
>Do it like a dude<br>Grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you

Do it like a brother  
>Do it like a dude<br>Grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you

We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem  
>We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem<br>Sugar sugar sugar  
>We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem<br>We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem  
>Sugar sugar sugar) <strong>= Chorus<strong>

Boom Boom, pull me a beer  
>No pretty drinks, I'm a guy out here<br>Rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' money like a pimp  
>My B I T C H's on my d-ck like this<p>

Dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty sucka  
>You think I can't get hurt like you, you motherf...<p>

**Chorus**

Sugar sugar sugar

Boys, come say what you wanna  
>Boys, you need to lick my dollar<br>Boys, gettin' hot under the collar  
>Holla holla woah<p>

Boys, come say what you wanna  
>Boys, you need to lick my dollar<br>Boys, gettin' hot under the collar  
>Holla holla woah<p>

**Chorus x 3**

The song was fast and went by quickly. "Hey, this is a one-drop single. But do you want to hear one last song before I gotta go?" Mikan yelled into the mike.

"YESH!" The crowd shouted back. Mikan sat on the edge of the stage, her legs dangling off. Some girls at the front ran up with autographs.

"Well then, I'm gonna need the rest of my best friends to get up here!" From the sides, the rest of **Dream** walked out in ripped zombie clothes, one drum set at the back and the rest having their instrument on. Natsume handed Mikan a guitar case.

"This one's for all of you!" She yelled, voice amplified a thousand times. "Its called 'Misery Business', my favorite song!"

The next day, Mikan was on the coverpage of almost every magazine in the world. She was the most envied girl in the world, beautiful, cheerful, and everyone loved her. She had a great personality and did everything in elegance.

Said hazel-eyed girl was sitting on her favorite bench in a hidden park in New York, feet up, a magazine in her hands, glasses on her face, and a pint of Haagen Daaz in her hand, half empty.

"'Bomb Idol **Devil's Charm** reveals best friend, Imai Hotaru of young band **Dream**..." She read the headlines out loud. Then she got to a second article about her...and a specific someone.

"'**Devil's Charm **Sakura Mikan and **Dream**'s drummer Hyuuga Natsume in a love _relationship'?_" She sat up suddenly, glasses falling off her face. There, on the inside cover, was a nine by five inch picture of Natsume and Mikan in front of their concert hall, talking. "The _nerve!_" She yelled, standing. Someone behind her stepped back.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on, strawberries?"

The brown-haired girl would recognize that voice and nickname _anywhere_.

"_This,_ Natsume! _This_ is what's going on!" She waved the picture in front of his face, smacking his nose and effectively irritating him.

"So what? It's just a small misunderstanding..."

"_Small,_ Natsume? _Small?_ With this picture, neither of us will be able to do anything without being _crawled all over _by the _stupid media!"_ She turned around, fuming lasers at the image. "A misunderstanding..."

She felt Natsume's arms wrap around her loosely and began to blush furiously. "Well, its a misunderstanding, but its a nice misunderstanding, isn't it?" His breath was hot on her neck.

"Hmph, for you maybe." She brushed him off.

"Something's wrong with you, Mikan."

Mikan flinched. "Nothing's wrong."

"Actually, I think that more than one thing's wrong with you. Ever since we all met you, even before that, there's been something very wrong, hasn't there?"

"_There is nothing wrong." _ She began to pick up her magazine, the pint of Haagen Daaz in her right hand.

"Mikan, you have to tell someone. I know you told the ice girl, but all she said was she didn't know the whole thing. Tell me Mikan."

"You don't have anything to do with anything," She said.

He grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around, shocking her. "So you don't feel anything for me?"

The brown-haired girl recovered from her shock. "No."

"If I left, would you care?"

"Not at all."

"If I got a girlfriend, would you care?"

"No."

The crimson-eyed boy looked at her seriously, for the first time in her life. "Mikan," He looked held her gaze.

"If I _died_, would you care?"

Mikan didn't say anything for a second. Then, "Don't say something like that so lightly." Natsume could barely hear her.

"Mikan -"

"Don't _say that."_ She seethed.

Natsume was going to say something, but then he noticed his hands were vibrating. Then he realized something.

"If you didn't care Mikan, would you be shaking right now?"

Then the black-haired boy heard something he never thought he'd hear again.

Mikan sobbed.

She crumbled to the ground, sobbing into Natsume's chest as he came down with her.

"Natsume, Natsume, Natsume," She cried, hiccuping.

"I'm right here."

"My mom *hic* and I lived *hic* by ourselves and da - *hic* dad was dead and, and *hic* we were being targeted by some *hic* someone, and they came after us and took *hic* they took, *hic* they...they took..."

"What did they take Mikan?" Natsume pressed.

"They took my _mom!_" She sobbed. "And I was gonna *hic* get her back *hic* cuz I got a letter from *hic* her and then I got sick and *hic* they said at the hospital *hic* that I was gonna...gonna...kick the _stupid bucket_ *hic* and they didn't know when! *hic*"

She cried for a long time after that, even when it got dark they were still in the park. No one was there.

Mikan held her face into his chest and screamed, as loud as she could, the sound muffled by his clothes and him holding her tight.

He pulled the crumpled Haagen Daaz out of her hand and pulled her up.

They stood and she piggybacked on him while he carried her to his hotel room.

Mikan was crying like a two-year-old. She stood in front of him when he put her down, one hand over her eye. The black-haired boy lay her down on the bed, holding her hand the whole time.

She was staring at him, he was staring at her, their faces were inches away, and both knew exactly what the other was saying.

_I'm scared._

_I'm here._

The brown-haired girl closed her eyes and in a few minutes was snoring quietly.

Using his free hand, Natsume brushed away the wrinkles on her forehead, until her emotionless face mirrored his. He pulled out a vibrating cellphone from his pocket. "Hey, Ice Princess," He said. "Yeah, I have her...she just told me...eleventh floor of the W...ok, see you there in five," He hung up and slipped his hand out of Mikan's.

"I'll be back soon, Mikan," He stood up and, after one last glance, left the room.

"Yo, Princess," The crimson-eyed boy walked into the Japanese bar two buildings away from his hotel.

A purple-eyed girl was drinking a soda in front of him, not surprised in the least by his appearance. The two sat next to each other in silence for a moment, and for a second they looked like brother and sister. Same attitude, same looks, and for now, same thoughts.

"The cure," Hotaru said suddenly but quietly. Natsume didn't react. "The cure, a doctor has it."

"What?" Natsume's voice peaked, and his eyes jerked in her direction.

"The cure," Hotaru repeated, setting her glass down and turning her stool to face him. "A doctor has - _had_ it." She folded her hands in her lap. Natsume knew to wait for her to continue. "His name was Yukihira. Yukihira Izumi.

"He disappeared from his home country and hasn't been seen for eighteen years." She ordered another drink. "They said he left a cure somewhere - that he told his wife where it was, but she disappeared _thirteen_ years ago. They had a kid, but no one knows where he - or _she_ - is."

"Hmm," Natsume replied, before picking up his ringing cell. "Hel -"

"_Natsume?"_

"Mikan?" The black-haired boy stood up after hearing the shaky whisper, as did Hotaru. "What happened?"

"_Are you home?"_

"No, why?"

There was a gasp on the other end. _"Someone's here."_

**Yeah, so, that was the chapter. I hope you guys LOVED the cliffhanger. **

**By the way, if you didn't know already, school sucks. **

**ALOT.**

**Yeah, but, thank you for my faithful reviewers!**

**~animeoh**


	12. Chapter 11: Rabbits and Fireflies

**Aww, fewer reviews, but at least I have some! Thank you all so far!**

_**m ()**_** - But I bet she would **_**never**_** throw her guitar at him...what if the strings snapped? :D**

_**Animegirlfreak17**_ - **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

_**pikacheery14**_** - Thanks for liking the story!**

**Read and Review!**

**I do not own Gakuen Alice. If I did, I **_**kinda**_** would've made it go a little faster.**

**Chapter 11: Rabbits and Fireflies**

"What?" The crimson-eyed said at a normal volume, which was pretty loud for him.

"What happened?" The purple-eyed girl asked in the same volume.

"Mikan," Natsume stood up and Hotaru followed as they began to walk briskly towards the W hotel. The snow was falling heavily now, but beautifully, and people were out enjoying the falling ice.

"What happened, boy?" The black-haired girl repeated her question.

"Someone's in my hotel room." He breathed.

Hotaru's questioning gaze turned steely as they made it into the hotel and into the elevator.

The weak brunette clutched her cellphone to her chest, sweating in the hot but enormous walk-in closet. There was no sound from through the door, but Mikan had heard the sound she was wanting to hear, but not the person she had wanted to see. The lock had clicked.

She kept her eyes trained on the door, locked for now, and then she heard it: heavy, uneven footsteps. Judging by the sound, one of the intruder's legs had something wrong with it, and they were an adult.

Mikan was ready for what was about to happen. She hid, her heart beating so loud she was sure the intruder could hear it.

Then, Mikan felt a hot liquid on the left side of her face. In shock, she quickly wiped the tear from off her cheek, then returned to the fetal position she was originally in. The only hiding space was behind the safe usually found in hotels, in the laundry chute. It took all of her strength not to slip and slide down.

The steps stopped in front of the door. The brunette immediately sensed that the intruder knew someone was inside. The doorknob shook. Mikan's breath caught in her throat.

_?_

She sobbed then covered her mouth. "No," She whispered, and the door shook violently. "No! Go away! Who are you!" She sobbed again.

"Mikan!" The tired voice said, and Mikan's eyes widened. The voice shouted her name again, and this time the brunette was sure she had heard right.

"Mama?"

"Hey," The purple-eyed girl said, standing on one side of the elevator.

"What?" The crimson-eyed boy replied, standing on the other. They stared at each other.

"Hey."

"What?"

"_Hey."_

"What?" Natsume exploded on Hotaru, closing in until he was a couple inches away from her. "What do you want, Princess? _What do you want?"_

"What do _you_ want, Natsume?" Hotaru said, stepping up to him until her chest was touching his. She stared emotionlessly into his glaring eyes. "I can see it in your eyes. I can see it, Natsume. Sorrow and hate and pain cannot blind me. _I can _see _it, Natsume."_ She breathed.

"What can you see? What can you see, Hotaru?" He said, a shred of a hint of desperation in his tone.

He knew the answer. Hotaru knew he knew the answer. "You and Mikan _will_ live," She said, before jabbing him on a pressure point above his heart. Natsume dropped into her waiting arms.

The elevator doors opened and Hotaru dragged Natsume out and into an open room, laying him down.

Natsume's hand went into his pocket. "Wai...wait..." His words were slurred. "Promise us...promise all of us...that you will live too." Hotaru stared at him before walking away.

Before she closed the door behind her she murmured, "I don't make promises I can't keep."

Natsume's blood red eyes rolled back into his head.

**- - - - - **_**(A/N: You have no idea how badly I wanted to end right here.)**_** - - - - -**

"Baby," The older woman hugged the younger. "Oh, baby,"

"Mama," Mikan said, hugging back. "Ma *hic* mama, mama," She sobbed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Baby, I'm so sorry," The woman sobed, and they both smiled with tears of joy. "Oh my god," Yuka whispered all of a sudden, locking the door noiselessly. Footsteps. _A lot_ of them.

"Mama -"

"Shh, baby, shh."

There was no sound for a few moments but the thudding footsteps of the real intruders.

Then, there was the unmistakable sound of a muffled gunshot. Both women sucked in their breath. Many, many more silenced gunshots, and then some yelps, some grunts, and seven heavy thuds.

"It's safe," A certain purple-eyed girl said through the door.

"Huh?" The brown-eyed girl sat up.

"I _said _ that it's _safe."_

"Ho - Hotaru!" Mikan cried, throwing the door open. She barely had enough time to ready herself before Hotaru fell head-first into Mikan's arms.

"She's been shot," Yuka said after helping the girl to the ground. "Once in the left ankle, twice in the lower back, and..."

Hotaru breathed slowly and heavily. "Once in my left shoulder blade and once in my left thigh," She replied. "My name's Hotaru Imai. Nice to meet you, Miss Mikan's mom."

Yuka smiled warmly, considering the situation. "My name's Yuka."

Hotaru's eyes widened. "Yuka - no, now's not the time for that. More people will be here soon, and I left Natsume in the room two doors down." She stood up as if nothing happened. "I need to get something. You guys go on ahead, I've organized a ride for you. Pick up Natsume, too."

Hotaru turned around. In a few more moments, the door clicked behind Yuka and Mikan. "Thanks so much, Hotaru."

The room got eerily quiet, seven people barely alive and breathing, plus one almost dead and bleeding girl. Hotaru walked, really slowly, to the bed, and lay down. "Haah, haah, haah," She breathed, putting more force into the feeling than necessary.

Two hours had passed. Mikan, Yuka, and Natsume were probably well on their way to where Hotaru had sent them, and no one knew she was still here. She rolled over and picked up a stray gun with all of its bullets, clutching it to her chest. If anyone came in, she could just raise the gun in front of her and do away with them.

"Dying...I'm dy...I'm dying..." She finally realized. "I'm cold...I'm here...and no one's...gonna know..." Reality.

She was dying.

DYING.

**Dying.**

Dying.

_Dying._

Hotaru Imai, just barely eighteen, in the first year of her professional music career...was _**dying.**_

Door clicks were an unpleasant sound. Hotaru held up the gun as soon as she heard one. "Get the hell out," She threatened.

"Hotaru, Hotaru, it's me."

"...Ruka?"

"Yes."

She dropped the gun and heard Ruka advance. He sat next to her on the bed and held her up. "Oh my god, Hotaru, what have you done?" He said, staring fiercely at her.

The purple-eyed girl smirked. "So the rabbit...decides...to get fiesty...huh?"

"Yes. And Hotaru..."

"Hmm..."

"For that rabbit to be happy...for that stupid, selfish, weak rabbit to be saved...the firefly needs to keep glowing."

He hugged her. She, although completely unexpecting, hugged back.

**- - - - - The Rabbit needs the Firefly. - - - - -**

**So, this chapter's shorter because I wanted to get the results for it faster.**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

**~animeoh**


	13. Chapter 12: Filler Chapter

**Reviews!**

_**crimson-angel 1447**_

_**Chi () - I'm glad you like it!**_

**I do not own Gakuen Alice. It is going too slowly for it to be me.**

**By the way, this chapter is going to be extremely short for lack of time to even **_**be**_** on FanFiction. I'm sorry to all the disappointed readers!**

**Chapter 12: Filler Chapter ****-_- **

The black-haired girl opened her purple orbs. It took a moment for her sight to adjust.

She was in a bright white room. Windows let in light from the right. She was propped up on a bed with pillows. Her arms had wires pouring out of them, bandages covering the open faces. It hurt to move her face...but its not like she usually changed her expression.

She opened her mouth slightly, a movement that usually went unnoticed by everyone.

"Good, you're alive," Someone said in a sarcastic voice by her side.

Without turning, Hotaru knew who had spoken. "Hana Shouda. Why are you in Japan?" Ugh, her voice sounded horrible. But the icy tone remained.

"For you, Princess. And, before you ask, Mikan's safe, Natsume's safe, they're all in your third apartment, and you've been three-quarters _dead_ for about three days. The Manhattan Concert has come and gone, and the whole crowd sent you about thirty billion get-well-soons."

A blue-haired boy walked into the room just as Hana finished the last sentence.. His eyes met Hotaru's and he smiled. "Oh, Ice-chibi! You're awake!" He was pierced by two purple daggers.

"So, Hana-chan, Ice-chibi, what were you talking about?"

"How long the Princess has been in the hospital." Hana noticed something off about the blue-haired boy's expression. "I have a phone-call. Tsubasa-senpai, please keep the Princess company."

She left the room and sure enough, moments later, the atmosphere turned icy.

"Oi, Ice-chibi," Tsubasa sounded eerily like the baka-red-eyed-boy, Hotaru noted. "What's going on?"

She deliberately turned her head away from him.

"Hotaru. Turn around and tell me _what _the _hell _is going on."

"Mikan's found her mom. I helped them get away." She said.

"To the point as always..." He commented. "But that's not what I wanted to hear. The Christmas Ball - you have to go." He said. Tsubasa looked up to the ceiling and sighed. "Friggin idiots put it on the same day as New Year's Eve," He sighed again, effectively pissing Hotaru off.

"Get out." The purple-eyed girl hissed. "Just - just -" She was cut off by a fit off coughing.

**XxX XxX XxX**

The hazelette stepped out of her mother's room (for now) and walked to the couch in front of the tv. A crimson-eyed guy was sitting there already, watching a movie.

"What're you watching?" Mikan asked, leaning next to him.

"_Sakura Mikan, a Devil's Charm: The Movie._" Natsume recited, yawning. "You and the lady have been sleeping for about two days," The female looked out the window.

"Where are we?"

"**Dream** had bought a floor of this hotel a year ago, so now its like our home base. You're in one of the extra rooms." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before adding, "You okay?"

Mikan nodded. "Its a little...weird," She said, sitting next to him. "I mean, I know that I'm supposed to be all like, excited and stuff, but now, now that its over, I just feel so calm and its just...weird," She finished.

Natsume's lip twitched upward for a half-second, before he pulled her onto the sofa next to him. "Ok, ok, Ms. Philosopher," He teased. "We're too young to have to worry about this, so just relax for now. With the time you have."

Mikan bit her lip in thought before picking up the remote and changing the channel. There was nothing interesting on, so she just left it open on a music channel and leaned back. "Did you see Hotaru when you picked me up?" She asked the question putting crease lines on her forehead.

"Wow, that's what you were worried about?" Natsume smirked a little at her expression. "She's fine. She's with the rest of them." She relaxed in her chair.

"Thank god," She whispered under her breath.

Natsume felt a pang of mischievousness, and decided to have a little fun. He waited until Mikan was completely unguarded.

And then.

He.

Decided.

TO...

Roll over until he was towering over Mikan, his arms on either of her sides, so that if she stared straight ahead, she'd be two inches away from his nose.

Mikan resisted the urge to scream, or slap him, or kick him where it would hurt, or do anything else of the sort. Instead, she whispered, through clenched teeth, "What the _hell_ are you doing?" She looked straight into his eyes, where a playful twinge colored them.

"Isn't it obvious?" He leaned in until his lips were right in front of her left ear and whispered, "Making a move on you."

Mikan blushed a furious shade of red and smacked him away as he guffawed loudly and fell on the couch beside her. She stood up, put her hands on her hips, and glared at him. "Oh my _God_, how do people _like_ you?"

He looked up at her, still chuckling, and replied, "Same way you do, Strawberries."

Her face turned tomato-colored. _"Strawberries?_ Did you just call me _Strawberries?_" She began to chase him around the room, but was no match for his speed. She ended up slamming into a door that decided to open when she was running right towards it.

"Mikan?" A womanly voice called her name.

"Mom, you're awake," Said female replied, hugging the older woman. From the side of her eye, Mikan noticed that a certain Hyuuga had regained his uncaring stoic facade and was now walking out of the room, to give the pair some privacy.

As the door closed behind him, Yuka whispered: "Now, you need to tell me everything that's happened since we parted."


	14. Chapter 13: Masks

**AMAZING REVIEWS!**

_**papaya-san**____- Thank you so much for your reviews. Honestly, when I reread my first chapters, I cringed at how choppy and to the point they were. No flow at all~ But anyway, I enjoyed reading your reviews._

_**pinkpocket23**__ - Thanks for the amazing review! I'm glad you liked it, but if there's anything wrong with any of my fics, just tell me and I'll work on it! _

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**I don't own Gakuen Alice!**

**Chapter 13: Masks**

"Hurry up and get changed, Mikan." The black-haired female ordered impatiently. A few moments later, a brunette stepped out of the enormous closet, her clothes covered in a dark brown cloak.

"Sorry, I couldn't get the cloak thing on right. It kept getting caught on my dress."

The girls stepped outside and began walking out of the hotel and onto a stone pathway. They were joined by others similarly dressed as they made their way through the gardens. Moonlight illuminated the wet flowers and the hoods of the group.

Mikan chuckled at the head of the group. "It looks like we're a part of a cult or something,"

"You thought so too?"

The brunette turned and smiled excitedly. "Tsubasa-senpai!" She hugged him as they walked. "Where's the rest of **Dream**?"

"They're at the back somewhere. Hotaru's with you, I guess, and Ruka and Natsume are already there." The bluenette looked ahead. "Whoa, so that's the Christmas Ballroom," His comment was followed by several other gasps as the enormous building came into view.

The entire glass dome was smothered in bright, twinkling lights and crisp, white snow. Trees lined the outside of the building, covered in layers of snow. The pathways to the building were bordered with small roses in red lights, illuminating the way to the entrance.

"Ok guys, time to put on the masks," He called to the group, and they responded by doing so. Mikan's peacock mask covered her eyes and the left side of her face, so that only the right half of her lips and cheeks were showing. Hotaru's purple one only covered half her face, and Tsubasa's only hid his eyes and nose. "Lets do this," He whispered, as they passed through the hall's arching entrance.

The inside of the hall was..._breathtaking_. Small booths lined the walls, selling masks, drinks, food, and filling the whole dome with the smell of hot chocolate.

The seats started a few feet into the room, then began to go lower underground. And they weren't just seats - it was just one huge cushion going all the way around the row, so people could fit as many as they wanted in the spaces.

The whole underground was illuminated by streams of broken moonlight and red and green lights covering the floor, giving it a mysterious look.

People were filling it like water, and just when the brunette began worrying if they would find seats, Tsubasa pulled them in front of a booth. He then turned around and whistled five notes super loudly into the crowd. Mikan stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before hearing a reply of five more notes. Tsubasa pulled the girls to where the music came from.

"What was that?" Hotaru asked, and Mikan looked to him for an answer.

"What, you're telling me you guys have never seen _Kill Bill_? Oh my god, we need to re-educate you two-"

"No, why did you do that?"

Tsubasa smirked arrogantly. "Well, yours truly had the idea to send Ruka and Natsume ahead to go find and save seats, and then we'd whistle each other when we got here. Oh, hey, Ruka!" He yelled, seeing a shining yellow mask. The boy turned around and they recognized the blue eyes.

"Tsubasa-senpai! Oh, Sakura and Imai-san!" He said, hugging the three in that order. Natsume, who was standing behind Ruka, quietly lead them to the seats where Misaki and the others were already sitting.

"Misaki-senpai!" Mikan whispered, greeting the tall hooded figure before all of the lights dimmed and a voice boomed on the intercom.

"Will everyone please take their seats?"

Mikan's jaw dropped. "Is that _Koko?_" She asked. Misaki grinned as the person on stage was put in a blue spotlight. "In a _dress?_" She hissed as their row erupted into laughter.

"As you all know, only the announcer is allowed to take off their cloaks before the actual ball. And as you all _also_ know, I am Kokoro Yome, and I am, in fact, wearing a dress, because my cough**idiot**cough bandmate rigged a bet. And so, lets go past that and start the celebrating!" The crowd cheered in between chuckles. Koko looked at some cards in his hands and frowned. "Well, it says here that I'm supposed to welcome each band onstage and they give a speech, bla bla bla. No offense, but that'd be pretty boring, and I think we'll just move on from there..." He tossed half the cards behind him. "Oh, yeah, so now we're just gonna move onto the dancing. Everyone hold onto your seats, please."

This was supposed to be a warning for everyone to sit before Koko pointed some remote at the wall, and the seats began going down. Down, down, down...until the ground became level and everyone was sitting on the floor. They stood up hurriedly as they found themselves on a ballroom dance floor.

Koko, _way_ too eager, began the count. "_Sei, no_-" And the cloaks were thrown into the air.

The room instantly became brighter. All the guys (aside from Koko) were wearing tuxedos in many different colors, some glittering, some silky, and some in weird designs. Natsume came in a silk crimson tux, Ruka in a white one, Kitsuneme in an orange one, and Tsubasa the show-off in a dark blue military style uniform. (**FMA style ;D**)

The girls _all_ came in beautiful ball gowns; Hotaru in a dark purple sleeveless gown that matched her facade, Misaki in a bright pink and gold dress, Hana in a light green straight dress, and Mikan in an extremely poofy copper gown.

And everyone had a mask on, so when they were all swept in different directions, no one knew who anyone was...

**Ugh, I hate summer school~**

**I can honestly say that my best work on FF is my oneshot for the TR Contest, **_One Stupid Person.___**I hope you all read it!**

**~animeoh**


	15. Chapter 14: Alabama Slammer

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

_**LilDaydreamer06 (Guest)**__** - **_**It was Kitsuneme, since he's probably the only one who'd spend time to actually make a bet. :P**

_**distan33 **_**- No problem lol**

_**Kimberly Maria**_

_**notyouraverageshorty**_

_**xCrimson**_

**I do not own Gakuen Alice. (Is it on hiatus or something?)**

**Chapter 14: Alabama Slammer**

"Dance with me," The brunette called, pulling the crimson-eyed boy into the lead position as music for the waltz began. With no room to refuse, he just put a hand on her waist and they slowly swayed and turned. She smiled. "Look, Ruka and Hotaru are dancing, too,"

A blonde and a purple-haired girl were in the same position as them a few feet away, with the boy beaming at the girl, who stared back at him. This action was enough to show that she had acknowledged the boy she was dancing with, which everyone took to be a great honor.

Mikan laughed as the music continued and pairs were switched. She waited until she was sure she was talking to Natsume, however, before pulling him into the hallway. "Pretend we're going to the bathroom," was all she said, before leading him outside.

"What's wrong?" He asked, before realizing it had something to do with the girl's mom.

"Mom talked to me," Mikan whispered, pulling off her mask. "And she told me why people were after her." She exhaled, her breath visible in the cold air. They were standing in front of the entrance's giant Christmas tree, taller than the dome itself, and covered in ornaments even larger than them.

"They're after a kid. She's nine years old now, French, and is staying with a Japanese family here for the time being. Mom took her and hid her in America, and apparently the organization found out." She recited hurriedly.

There was no change in the black-haired boy's expression, except when his eyes jerked to the side. "Cameramen." He muttered, before pulling her close and capturing her lips with his.

She was surprised for a moment - only a moment, however. She wrapped her arms around his neck, granting him complete control of the kiss. His hand traveled down her back, and she didn't care about anything else at that moment...

_Snap!_

She was brought back to reality as a camera snapped a photo of them, followed by many more. She gasped in mock shock and they ran back inside dramatically, suspected of nothing but a little romance.

"The mask," Natsume hissed, and Mikan slapped it onto her face, before they both ran into the ballroom and slipped into a fast-forming crowd.

"What's going on?" Mikan yelled over the shouting to no one in particular.

"Apparently, Santa has arrived and is handing out Christmas presents," Sumire yelled back, clinging to Koko's arm. "We should just wait for the crowd to thin out!" She and Koko began retreating, pulling the hazel-eyed girl along with them.

"What - where's Natsu-"

"Right here." Mikan whirled around, coming face to face with her partner's masked face. "I never went in the crowd in the first place, stupid," He added.

"You little - wait, I'm not even gonna try. I need to get used to this..." She muttered, as Ruka chuckled beside her.

"Mikan-chan," Tsubasa fluttered to her side, putting an arm around the girl's shoulder. Natsume quickly took his place on her other side, glaring holes into Tsubasa's arm. "Mikan-chan, have a drink!" He said, pushing an orange-colored drink into her hand. Before anyone could stop him, Tsubasa pushed her hand to her mouth and she downed the tiny glass in one go.

Sumire, Koko, Kitsuneme, Misaki, and Ruka all gaped, while Hotaru and Natsume stabbed him with eye-beams. Mikan shook her head, blinking hard. "What - what? That...what...did I just...?" She stuttered dizzily.

Misaki grabbed the empty glass shooter out of Mikan's shaking hand and smelled it. "You...idiot!" She yelled, throwing the glass at Tsubasa's head. He was out in seconds, already drunk. Misaki grabbed him by the collar anyway. "A slammer? You gave her an Alabama friggin' _slammer!"_ She yelled, shaking him vigorously.

A few seconds later, Mikan fell back into Natsume's waiting arms, completely drunk. "I think the stars are pretty tonight..." She mumbled happily, snuggling into his chest.

"Well aren't you happy, Hyuuga," A certain purple-eyed girl mocked her male counterpart, who gave her a look, and then turned away.

"I'll drop her off," He said quietly, before half assisting, half carrying the female outside. He lay her down in the back seat, pulling off her mask and draping his jacket over her sleeping figure. He started the car, sighed, and began driving down the long icy road.

It was quiet for about ten minutes, before the brunette groaned and sat up. "Where...are we going?"

"Home."

"Whose?"

"Yours."

"I don't wanna..." He glanced at her through the rearview mirror. She was pouting like a three-year-old. Obviously still drunk. He ignored her. "Heyyyyyy Natsumeeeeee," She drawled, poking his shoulder repeatedly. "I'm hungry." He rolled his eyes. "Let's get ice cream." She lit up.

"No. You're drunk."

She glared at him. "I am _not,_" She replied, "I'm just hungry." She kicked off her shoes and loosened her hair. "Ugh, this dress is so _itchyyyyy_..." She groaned, raising her arms.

Natsume slowed. "Hey, wait," Her arms were at her back now, and Natsume stopped the car. "Don't-"

_Zzzziiiiiiiip._

Mikan tossed her dress to the side, now wearing a white tank top and white leggings. She smiled knowingly. "You thought you'd get to see something nice, didn't -"

"Put this on, you're shaking." He said, tossing his jacket in the back before she could say anymore. She gave him a weird look, before giggling and putting the jacket on. He started the car again, driving in the middle of the empty road.

All of a sudden, she lunged forward, swerving the wheel to the right. the ended up parked perfectly in a busy parking lot. "What the hell are you doing?" He fumed, turning around.

Her eyes were as big as moons, staring at the big blue glowing sign. "..." She drawled happily. He proceeded to glare at her for a few more seconds, before she got out of the car and pulled him out too. "Stop being such a buzzkill, Natsume." They ran inside, heading for the freezer section.

"Okay. Two drumsticks." She pushed said items onto Natsume. "Two Mint-chip Haagen Daaz pints, two mint-chip gelatos," She turned around to the pantry beside the ice creams. "And one bottle of chocolate syrup."

At the self-checkout, she scanned the items and waited. Then, she noticed his glare and snarkily replied, "Oh come on, Natsume. I know you're rich," before he took out one of his many, many, _many_ credit cards and bought the ice cream.

"Bench!" She squealed once they were outside, and dove on the right. "Bring the ice cream here, bring it here," And he could do nothing but shake his head and comply.


	16. Chapter 15: Directions

**Thanks for Reviewing!**

_**papaya-san**_ - Thank you so much, it was my first oneshot, and I didn't know how to write one, so...

_**distan33**_ - I know, right? It was hilarious to write!  
><em><span><strong>Kanade-san <strong>__- _Thank you!

_**Lover11Anime**_

_**Guest**_

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_** .3726**_

**I do not own Gakuen Alice.**

**Chapter 15: Directions**

_"And she isn't picking up. Are you on your way?"_

"Yeah, Ruka. I'm in the elevator."

The blonde sighed on the other end. _"Thank you, Natsume. Hotaru's been worried sick, and we're all waiting for your call."_ The line went dead.

The black-haired boy shoved his phone in his pocket as the elevator doors opened and practically ran down the hall to room 112. He stopped in front of the door, knocking twice on the metal. When no reply came, he knocked again, this time growling, "Open the door, Strawberry." He patiently waited for about two and a half more seconds before kicking the door open, then catching it before it made a hole in the wall.

"Strawberry." He called once, before pulling out his phone and dialing her number. _I swear, if she doesn't pick up on the first ring..._

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" He burst in, uncharacteristically for him.

"...Natsume?"

"Who the hell else?"

"...I lost my phone. Hotaru told me to stay over her place for now - I told her everything."

There was a moment of pure silence, before Natsume repeated, "You're at Imai's."

"Yup."

"Nothing happened."

"Mm-hmm."

"And you just lost your phone."

"Exactly."

"..."

"..."

"Ruka was worried."

It was silent again, but barely half a second later he heard giggles on the other side. He hung up. A minute later he picked up the phone again, only to hear the famed Ice Queen on the other end.

"Imai."

"Hyuuga." They greeted each other. He waited for her to continue, but didn't have to for long. "The coffee shop opens at ten tomorrow. I'll wait three minutes, and then you'll miss your chance." The line went dead and Natsume made his way back to his apartment.

XXX

Hyuuga Natsume walked into M's Coffee at exactly 10:00 in the morning, finding his partner already seated at a booth in the far corner. He slid into the seat in front of her and ordered the same thing she did: a black coffee.

"Sakura visited me a week ago." Hotaru started when both of them received their drinks. "She said you guys were looking for a kid and asked me to help." Natsume raised an eyebrow, and she continued. "You guys are looking for a kid who suddenly popped up into existence six years ago, and there's been only one in Japan for the past nine years."

She turned on her phone and showed Natsume. He was familiar with the controls; he had the same one. "And...this is the kid?"

"Yup. Kashino Aya, real name Maya. I couldn't find her last name. She's Japanese, but they dyed her hair blonde for two years, saying she was a foreigner. Ten years old, currently going to Nishiyama Elementary, her fake parents being Kashino Saki and Kashino Daisuke." She sent the mini-profile to Natsume and sipped her coffee. "I told Mikan to come over and she rented out the room beside mine. I'm not going to get her into anything. I'm taking it all on me." Hotaru leaned closer to the table. "If you say a _word_ about this to Mikan, I will make you regret it."

Natsume knew better than to anger his female counterpart. "Same," He replied, and both left the table at the same time, from different entrances, in different directions.

"I missed you, HOTARUUU~!" The bubbly brunette shouted as she tackled - correction, _tried_ to tackle - the purple-eyed female. Instead, she ended up slamming into the wall across from the open doorway to the apartment. "That was mean~" She called, coming back into the room and locking the door.

"You're completely different from when we first met you," Hotaru remarked.

It took Mikan a few seconds to think of a good comeback. "That was before~!" And it wasn't even a good one.

Hotaru didn't reply, only drifted off to a set of three computer screens across the room. "I'm working." She said, and proceed to type at an insane speed while Mikan, used to this type of greeting, returned to her bowl of cereal in front of the T.V.

Her electric was on the ground beside the bowl and, every few seconds or so, she would pause her movie and scribble down a few notes on a piece of paper before playing the guitar. "Hotaru, have you seen this movie?" Mikan asked. Hotaru raised an eyebrow as the brunette continued.

"Its about this girl. She has this skin disease that no one knows about except her family, and she can't go in the sun. She's really good at singing and playing the guitar, plays it at the subway and stuff at night, when she sees this surfer guy and his friends and yeah, she watches them and stuff, and introduces herself to the guy. They start going out, and he doesn't know she's got this sickness, but he finds out when she runs away when the sun comes out. He wants to help her become famous, but then she gets worse until she can't move her fingers and play guitar but she gets a deal and sings a song, and tells everyone to wait for her CD.

"The guy finally takes her to the beach to watch him surf, and now she's in a wheelchair, and she tries to walk over to him. She trips and he catches her, and they laugh. But you know what happens? In the next scene, she's in a coffin full of sunflowers, and her C.D. gets released, and you see the guy thinking about her." Hotaru stopped typing. "Its called **Taiyou No Uta**, or Song of the Sun." Hotaru's fingers clenched on her keyboard, as Mikan laughed once. "Wouldn't it suck to end up like her?"

**Writer's block~~~**

**Ideas, suggestions, anything is welcome!**

**~animeoh**


	17. Chapter 16: Press Conference

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**DianXx - It really depends on what you want the situation to be...**

**Brisken - LOL you'll find out... **

**PaRaNold rOsE - Lol I tried to make it that way. :P**

**Nen Z**

**ArchAngelAlice**

**unknow98**

**I do not own Gakuen Alice.**

**Chapter 16: **

_Dear Diary._

_I don't know why I started writing this._

_I guess I just want someone to read it..._

_Though they probably won't. XP_

_It's been three days since Hotaru hasn't come to the apartment._

_She said she was visiting someone in America._

_I wonder who. A lover perhaps? But no, she has Ruka-pyon._

_I'm so bored..._

_It's hard to carry around a notebook, so I decided to write this on my phone._

_I'm at the convenience store right now._

_Buying rice balls with orange juice._

_All Notary _**(AN: Lol, hope you don't mind, Brisken ;D) **_keeps in her fridge are rice balls with crab filling and stuff to cook herself._

_I don't know how to cook._

_And I'm not obsessed with crab..._

_ hefrowherpth[p42tj4oto5otj5r_

_I turn nineteen in four hours._

_ It's funny. We're all going out to dinner; the managers, __**Dream**__, __**Devil's Charm**__'s Team...I'm looking forward to seeing Sumire. I have no idea why._

_ They said they'd get me double the presents since its also New Years'. _

_ Since they're all rich, they probably all got me something amazing._

_ I checked my email this morning. I got a bunch of pictures, and apparently, it was all over the news. _

_Pictures of me and Natsume, kissing at the Ball, and then me and him eating ice cream in front of Albertsons._

_It took me a minute to realize when we went, but by then I'd had Anna and Nonoko screaming and giggling at me through the phone about how cute we looked together._

_I watched Taiyou no Uta again. YUI was a really good singer; I remember meeting her once before, when I'd first entered the agency. She was really popular._

_I also finished writing the song I'd started with Notary. _

_I haven't named it yet. _

_I was thinking about asking her to, but she isn't here. She doesn't usually respond to texts or calls, and her emails don't really tell you anything, so i have no choice but to wait._

_The girl at the convenience store looked familiar, and I realized I'd seen her at Gakuen Alice - it was Yuri-senpai, the most popular girl there. _

_She remembered me too, and we switched emails and all that. _

_Her hair is long for a boy's, but still too short for a girl's, so she looks like some kind of supermodel dude or a bishounen. _

_Anyway, I'm walking back to Hotaru's apartment now, and it's really quiet for a Thursday. _

_I started eating a rice ball on the way back, before I bumped into a group of little kids playing out on the sidewalk._

_I thought one of them looked familiar, a nine or ten year old girl, but then they were called inside by a woman. She had a soft voice. "Rintaro-kun, Aya-chan! Can you bring everyone inside?" It turns out the girl's name was Aya. _

_I don't know anyone by that name. It must've been my imagination._

_Wow, four hundred words already, I must really type fast._

_A new shop opened in the shopping district. I think it's some kind of cake store._

_I want to go with Misaki-senpai. _

_I think she'd like it._

_Come to think of it, Misaki-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai have been going out for three years._

_I want a relationship like that; where both of us can completely depend on each other. _

_I have Natsume, though._

_That's enough._

The brunette's phone buzzed and 'Bakaneko' came up on the screen.

**Where have you been?**

Mikan laughed and typed in a speedy reply.

_Why? Worried much?_

She had a reply barely moments after she clicked send.

**Don't get ahead of yourself.**

**We have a meeting today, remember?**

**Press conference.**

She facepalmed.

_Oh. That. Yeah, I'm almost ready._

**Good. I'm two blocks away.**

Mikan gave herself a moment of shock before shooting into her closet and throwing on the prettiest yet most casual clothes she had on. She was hopping on on foot trying to get her left sandal on when the doorbell rang.

Natsume did not like to be kept waiting.

She threw the door open with her right, only to have her wrist grabbed as he pulled her down the long flight of stairs. "We're already late. You can put your shoes on in the car." He spee-dwalked across the street and got into his black Mustang while she ran around to the other side, one shoe on and the other in her hand.

She slammed the door behind her and they were on the road. "You could give me a little warning, you know?"

"I did. Two blocks worth."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh. Yeah. That's enough."

"Should've been. I didn't know Ms. Clumsy and Haphazard still existed even after you entered showbiz." His lip curled into a smile at her discomfort.

"I was on my way down."

"Sure you were."

"I _was._"

"Mm-hmm."

"I'm seri -"

"We're here." He cruised into a reserved space and they both got out and went inside together, Mikan following and glaring holes into his back.

"What's this about anyway? Those pictures?"

"Yup." He held open the door to the conference room for her.

Immediately the room erupted with shouts of sweaty reporters, managers, producers, and fellow bandmates. A specific blonde pulled the two out of the crowd and sat them beside him at the table. "May we have silence, please." Ruka said, the room quieting.

"Let's cut this short. I don't have much time; previous arrangements." Natsume cleared his throat. He threw an arm around Mikan's shoulders and spoke into the mic. "We're dat -"

"Getting married!" The hazelette yelled.


End file.
